Vote Yes on CA Proposition 30
by paradox
In one of the most unbelievable and surely the most tortured votes of my life I’ll cast a ballot for California Governor Jerry Brown’s Proposition 30 this November. For those fanatically attuned to the national races I would ask just a few minutes of patience, for the taxation issues here carry enormous Party and ethical implications well worth study. For those who have regrettably read my attempts on covering this before patience again is unfortunately called for, I will do my very best to control my fury and temper.
Half a century of perception has never seen harder times rip California. Hundreds of thousands with homes and jobs lost, beggars in the streets, billions on loan from the Feds for unemployment, spending per pupil right there with Mississippi, trash uncollected on the beach parks. The little people here have been smashed, to deliberately wring out more from them somehow is simply unthinkable.
Yet this is the approach of my Governor, in a pathetic political bunt single attempt from our allegedly best player in a huge game. California desperately needs taxation reform, in an amazingly stupid process move I obviously don’t agree with Jerry Brown went around the legislature in his tax increase attempt and put in the general ballot: a regressive sales tax increase that hurts the little people and pathetic tweaking of the rates for the very rich among us. $6 billion dollars when we likely need $20, are we going to have another election next year if this doesn’t work? My god.
No extraction taxes on oil, minerals or natural gas. No Prop 13 reform so business can finally pay their way. Pathetic top-rate tinkering on the yacht club and regressive screwing of people who have nothing, this is what a timid Republican would do.
It gets worse. If in fact this slimy evasion of fear fails the Governor has threatened that our children and disabled will bear all of the cuts, no shared sacrifice from the departments of prison or transportation in this California Democracy.
[taps fingers malevolently] Unforgivably unconscionable on multiple levels. Jerry Brown is supposed to be a Democratic Governor, it’s his fiduciary and human duty to make sure a setup for potential disaster like this never happens. A real governor and man would have properly fought and died this out in the Legislature where it’s supposed to happen with real political consequences on the Republicans, but this time potential failure means Jerry Brown can blame the people and the Democracy if Prop 30 doesn’t pass.
Governor Jerry Brown failed in his legislative duty, unbelievably decided to screw the little people in a pathetic attempt that won’t work while holding our children hostage to cover for it all. Then he can blame the little people if it fails.
My fury and dismay know no limits, to add on to all the monstrosity I’m being bullied by a coward. Oh man, you dare to pull that little trick, Governor Jerry Brown.
Yet in an incredible evolution of my life I will vote for this. How can this be? Advice and wisdom from one our best American political minds, Heather Parton, Digby of Hullabaloo.
No matter what insanity is thrust before us in lousy choices it is our duty as Americans to decide the best course that does the least harm, even if any course seems to lead nowhere or more harm. She and the liberal wing of the Democratic Party have taken a lot of heat for it, it seems to imply there is no principle we cannot bend or swallow, but it is still the best path moving forward with the tiny time given to us. The alternatives are far worse and we cannot knife our children over our own egos, we cannot. I’m not wrong about this but I could be, our children need to have the best chance we have, or at least to be saved from further abuse.
One last thing. I come from an evil, dark place of violence and terror, I know what fear is, oh yes. I’ve watched Jerry Brown very carefully in his Yes on Prop 30 commercials with the sound off, and from his body and face I know like the sun will rise this guy is afraid.
Fear of failure at the ballot, fear that his bullying of the Party into silence will stop working, fear that his failure of duty will become plain, it could be anything. But it’s no man confident about his path, that much is clear.
For our children and duty to Digby, Jerry Brown, only they compel my fury for following your disastrous path of bullying, evasion and fear. Only they could do this.